Once inspiring to world-conquering bands like Radiohead and
Coldplay, U2 now has to work to keep up to its prodigy. The veteran
rockers make it look easy with the risk-taking on this album, resisting
the urge to rewrite either “Beautiful Day” or “New Year’s Day.” While
nothing here will shock the faithful as much as Zooropa, the
guitar-driven melodies wed to churchy hymns, underpinned by the
hypnotic, pulsating electronica of producers Daniel Lanois and Brian
Eno, take the band in new directions: Witness the rattle, hum and pop
of the title track, the soulful gorgeous “Moment of Surrender” or
“Breathe,” the best song Pearl Jam never wrote.
This article appears in Mar 19-25, 2009.